Softball Takes Lead Into Seventh But Falls In Extras At #18 Mississippi State

STARKVILLE, Miss. –  The Alcorn State University softball program led Mississippi State five to four, two outs away from a victory in the final frame but the Bulldogs found a way to prevail in extra innings, winning 6-5 in eight.

The Lady Braves (2-8, 0-0 SWAC) were ahead of 18th-ranked MSU from the third batter of the game until one out left in the seventh inning but the hosts tied things in the seventh and won it in the eighth to the dismay of the Purple and Gold.

Alcorn came painstakingly close to its first win over a ranked opponent since downing an undefeated and 19th-ranked Texas Tech Lady Raiders squad (4-2) on March 11, 2011.

Against Ball State, Marsha Hunt delivered with the squad's two RBIs of the morning session while Amari Ramsey got on base all three times to the dish, recording two singles and a walk while scoring twice.

In the Mississippi State showdown, six different Lady Braves had a hit, five ladies scored on the basepaths, four had an RBI and two earned walks.

Ramsey and Chloey Morgan each picked up a RBI double as their choice of hit, Brittney Triplett was the lone Alcornite to tally both a hit and a free pass plus Hunt added an RBI to her daily total of three while Alexsis Ramirez notched the fifth of five RBIs on the evening.

Brenn Ursin got the starting nod on the hill for the Purple and Gold opposite the Bulldogs, tossing a beautiful pitching performance. She went the distance (7.1 innings pitched) with no walks surrendered, a strikeout and just four earned runs given up while keeping the high-powered SEC offense under wraps for most of the night.
 
Game 1: Ball State 10, Alcorn 3

The Cardinals started the contest off strong, bringing five runs home in the bottom of the first thanks in part to a grand slam by Faith Hensley.

The ladies from Lorman got on the board in the third as Ramsey scampered to the plate on a passed ball to make it 5-1 BSU.

Ball State tacked on two in the fourth but the Lady Braves fought back in the fifth as Hunt laced a two-RBI single to right field, cutting the deficit to for at 7-4.

Hensley, who hit the grand slam in the opening inning, slammed the door on Alcorn's comeback hopes with a three-run shot over the fence in right-center to cap the scoring at 10-3 in favor of the Cards.

This was the first ever meeting between the two softball programs.
 
Game 2: #18 Mississippi State 6, Alcorn 5 (8 Innings)

The Lady Braves stunned MSU right from the get-go, posting a four-spot on the board in the first to get the ball rolling. Ramsey clubbed a double to score Brittney Triplett, Hunt would knock one back up the box to plate Ramsey, Kiri Parker flew home on a wild pitch and Ramirez beat out an infield single to account for the scoring plays.

Alcorn would further bolster its advantage in its next turn at-bat as Chloey Morgan roped a double into the right-centerfield gap to bring Desirea Lindsey around to widen the margin to five-nothing.

The Bulldogs began their slow march back into the ballgame, scoring four runs over the next four innings to trim the edge down to one heading into the seventh.

Ashley Arnold singled up the middle for Alcorn in the top half but could not advance any further.

Ursin, who was outstanding in holding down a deadly Mississippi State offense all game, gave up an unearned run in the bottom of the seventh to give the fans "free softball".

Unfortunately for the Purple and Gold, the heart of the lineup went three-up three-down in the top of the eighth while Fa Leilua sent the home crowd home happy with a walk-off dinger that hugged the left field foul pole to thwart an amazing performance by the Lady Braves, 6-5.

Alcorn came tantalizingly close to that elusive first win against the Bulldogs, dropping to 0-13 all-time.

Coach Rankin's team will get a rematch with Ball State tomorrow morning as the two programs meet again at 11 a.m. in the final game of the Bulldog Invitational.
 
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